MAN selects ABB fast chargers for its e-bus R&D facilities

Zurich, Switzerland, September 20, 2016: ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is supplying fast chargers for depot and opportunity charging of electric buses, to MAN Truck & Bus for its new e-bus R&D facilities in Munich, Germany.

In July MAN Truck & Bus announced serial production of fully electric buses by 2019. Pilots of the e-buses are planned to go into operation in 2018. The buses are developed at MAN’s R&D facilities in Munich, using a test bench equipped with different charging technologies from ABB.

“Energy efficient and sustainable transportation is a key focus area of ABB’s Next Level strategy and we are committed to further advance e-mobility,” says Robert Itschner, Managing Director of ABB’s Power Conversion business unit. “ABB offers different technologies and solutions for electric vehicle charging and we are very pleased that MAN Truck & Bus chose our fast chargers for its test facilities.”

For depot charging tests – used at the terminus where a bus has a longer stop – MAN will use an ABB fast charger with a CCS2 connector at its facility. Following the EU standardization for electric vehicle charging, it is the same connector that is used for electric cars.
For opportunity charging tests, ABB will supply a charge pole with inverted pantograph. With its automated rooftop connection and a typical charge time of three to six minutes, opportunity fast charging systems allow charging at end stops and can easily be integrated in existing bus routes. ABB is delivering a charge pole in a MAN design that will be demonstrated at the leading international trade fair for mobility, transportation and logistics, the IAA fair in Hanover, from September 22 to 28.

The fast-charging solutions are based on IEC 61851-23, the international standard for fast charging electric vehicles. This ensures the appropriate safety systems are in place, the electrical design is in accordance with regulations, and the systems architecture and working principles are supported by a wider automotive community in the future.

Both, ABB and MAN Truck & Bus AG are project partners in the European e-bus charging system (eBusCS) initiative which promotes international standardization of charging processes for electric buses to facilitate the introduction of electric bus systems in European cities.

About MAN Truck & Bus AG
MAN Truck & Bus is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles and supplier of transport solutions, with revenues of approximately €9 billion a year (2015). The product portfolio includes trucks, buses and diesel engines, as well as services related to passenger and cargo transport. A subsidiary of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH, MAN Truck & Bus employs more than 35,500 people worldwide.

About ABB
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.